Categories

Coffee lover utilizes caffeine in college

As a west coaster, it’s hard to deny my love (addiction) to coffee. I think it’s the smell of coffee that gets me: the lofty, aromatic fragrance of the beans on a chilly fall day. I like the warm feeling of the cup in my hands. Or maybe it’s the jolt that coffee gives, that a.m. pick-me-up that reassures my success of the forthcoming day.

But let’s be honest.

Coffee is a tool. It helps you power through the all-nighters, the exams, and the 10-pagers. Got an exam the next morning? Brew up a pot. 10 page essay? Nothing a few cups couldn’t help you get through.

Gabby Gamez, communication junior, primarily drinks coffee when school work is particularly pressing. Gamez said, “I’m mostly a candy or a cookie eater. I only drink coffee if it’s really late. I tend to drink McDonalds coffee, the French vanilla kind.”

Whatever your reason for liking coffee, it’s no doubt that college and coffee go hand-in-hand. Statistic Brain reports that 54 percent of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee on the daily. This doesn’t include the slew of caffeine aficionados crutching their energy drinks, sodas, energy shots, and other caffeine spiked beverages.

Hollace Dillon, history junior, said, “I don’t drink coffee often. If I ever did, it would be if I needed a bit of extra energy but I try to avoid it because it is a natural pesticide and caffeine is an addictive substance.”

Caffeine, found most commonly in coffee and tea leaves, can cause withdrawal symptoms. According to an article on Web M.D , there is no doubt that caffeine withdrawal can make for a few bad days. Most addiction experts don’t usually consider caffeine dependence a serious addiction, however, due to only mild symptoms that occur from withdrawal.

Bailey VenJohn, communications junior, said, “I hate that feeling of having coffee and then not having coffee for a while. The feeling of dragging and being unenergetic is not fun.”

Coffee should not be consumed by everyone, however. In a newsletter, Walter Willett, assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health said, “Some people may still want to consider avoiding coffee or switching to decaf, especially women who are pregnant, or people who have a hard time controlling their blood pressure or blood sugar.”

Halley Mata, communication senior, said “when I was pregnant, it was like torture trying not to drink coffee every day.”

Recent research has shown that coffee in particular can help prevent diseases such as certain cancers, stroke, and lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease and of dementia. Coffee has also been shown, according to the National Institutes of Health, to boost concentration and memory.

For the late night or Sunday coffee drinkers, you can get espresso at McDonald’s, Braum’s, and the Java Jinx. Walmart sells cold brew Starbucks coffee in the refrigerated aisles for less than five dollars for 64 ounces of super concentrated cold brew coffee.

Jonahs Joudrey is a junior majoring in communication. You may email him at jonahs.joudrey@sckans.edu.